Robot 6

Company defends ‘Fangirls’ T-shirt, claims ‘double standards’

Most businesses caught up in a social-media firestorm over a product might’ve issued an apology or hunkered down and quietly waited for the controversy to pass, but not Tankhead Custom Tees.

The Murrieta, California-based company was thrust into the spotlight this week after a photo taken at WonderCon Anaheim of one of its T-shirt designs — “I Like Fangirls How I Like My Coffee […] I Hate Coffee” — was posted on Twitter, drawing intense criticism from fans and creators alike. Allison Baker, MonkeyBrain Comics co-founder and a CBR columnist, pointed to the image as an example of “what chauvinism looks like,” while writer Greg Rucka unleashed his fury on both the person selling the shirt and those who support its sentiment: “What in the name of everlovingfuck is the matter with you?”

In a Facebook post responding to “some bad word on our fan girl shirt,” Tankhead insists “a certain few bloggers” who have accused the company of sexism “completely ignored our other variant shirt on display or didn’t even bother to ask our take on it.” The statement is accompanied by a photo of a similar T-shirt that replaces “Fangirls” with “Fanboys.”

The design has been available since May 2013, according to this Facebook post, which states “text can be changed, it does not necessarily have to say fan girls. It can be changed to anything you want.” However, only the “Fangirls” version appears on the company’s website, alongside several other shirts featuring guns, soldiers and gorillas with guns.

“Apparently it’s only sexism if it is insulting to one gender,” Tankhead states. “Woo double standards.”

If the criticism can’t be chalked up to “double standards,” then perhaps it can be blamed on a misunderstanding of the term “fangirls” (and, OK, “fanboys”). Maybe?

“Fans are people who like and genuinely respect a fandom, and it’s creators,” the post explains. “Fangirls/boys are like those creepy fedora wearing neckbearded bronies, or hetalia fanfiction shippers, who make us all collectively cringe in pain at what they do to the things we love. No one should ever defend these kinds of people. Seriously, they make the rest of us look bad.”

And if that’s not enough to quell the uproar (spoiler alert: it’s not), the company takes another run at rationalization: “oh and fyi: the ones who bought the shirt design, the fangirl one in particular, half were girls who bought it.”

The comments are also worth checking out, as Tankhead has responded to further criticism with its own charge of sexism, and an acknowledgement that the company would be willing to substitute “Fangirls” on the T-shirt with any group: “Well ladies and gentlemen, here at Tankhead, we don’t give a shit about political correctness and not offending people. The sky’s the limit on what you want on a t shirt.”

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Comments

79 Comments

Andrew Breneman

dood

“Fans are people who like and genuinely respect a fandom, and it’s creators,” the post explains. “Fangirls/boys are like those creepy fedora wearing neckbearded bronies, or hetalia fanfiction shippers, who make us all collectively cringe in pain at what they do to the things we love. No one should ever defend these kinds of people. Seriously, they make the rest of us look bad.”

I dislike this statement. A fan celebrate what they want, however they want. If this company can freely express themselves to make a t-shirt, then shouldn’t anyone feel free to wear Adventure Time slippers at any hour of the day?

It’s not a fight about gender to me, it’s a fight against fandom and fanhood. Let the people do what they want to do. Especially at a comic book convention.

ellep

It’s insulting to both genders. It’s insulting to fandom and creators. Finding out that they sell both makes it worse, not better; they’re still enabling divisive sexism in a community that desperately needs to grow the fuck up out of it.

braun

raf

It’s a terrible design and a horrible shirt. BUT, they can sell whatever they like. it’s a free country and taste doesn’t amount to much. Don’t like the shirt? DON’t BUY IT. Protest with your money. it’s the only way things like this will fall out of favor. Complaining on Message boards and on Fan Sites doesn’t mean a thing. If the shirt is selling then they’ll keep making them and more like them.

Herb Finn

christianizcool

Just because there’s 2 different versions of it doesn’t /really/ make it better, because one girl wearing the ‘fanboys’ shirt doesn’t really do anything. Like, I can’t imagine anyone thinking twice about it. The ‘fangirl’ version one reinforces a really prevalent ‘girls can’t be nerds’ mentality.

In other words, the ‘fanboy’ shirt would just be a weird, individual shirt. The ‘fangirl’ one is a symptom of a bigger problem.

Bilderberger

Geek Dad

This is much ado about nothing. Social justice warrior faux rage. The term fanboy/fanboi has long been a term of friendly derision in fandom. The history of conventions is rife with fandom rivalries, too – Star Wars vs. Star Trek, Marvel vs. DC, etc.

The fact that a fangirl version of the shirt even exists is testament to the rising popularity of geek culture among women. But it is very difficult to survive for long with a thin skin. “Hating fangirls” does not equate to hating women in general, any more than “hating fanboys” is a manifesto against men.

I’m in the same boat Greg Rucka is with a budding geek daughter. I’d rather teach her, by example, to ignore crap like that and point out that it is damn convenient for people who don’t like you to wear a t-shirt saying so. I don’t think I would want to teach her, by example, to go off on a tirade on a blog every time she encounters an idiot – life is too short for that and rarely are any minds changed. And I would point out that every t-shirt unsold on the rack represents one less idiot in the world who would wear it.

Tom Harris

So if I want to get that shirt and substitute anything else for fangirls, they will print it and it’s OK? What if I want it replaced with “gays,” or some racial slur? Maybe they should just discontinue this design?

Mary

Oh for the love… Anyone who’s offended at this doesn’t understand what a fangirl/fanboy is, and needs to get out more. A fanboy/fangirl is a fanatic. Not a true fan who genuinely and thoughtfully cares for a particular creation, but someone who immerses their entire identity into the “celebration” of the creation, usually in weird and creepy ways. Think “weird 30-something who lives in his/her mother’s basement”. That’s a fanboy/fangirl.

I’m very aware of chauvinism, and am doing my best to raise kids who are gender-neutral in their thinking, but this is just a stupid argument.

Mr. Wayne

The comic book community pretty much knows that being called a fanboy or fangirl now a days, can be insulting. From the beginning I thought this was blown a bit out of proportion. Going as far as comparing the, “symbolism” of this shirt to what Blacks went through in America back in the day. Chill. I respect SOME views on the possible negative that can come from this shirt but one should also respect what the creators are trying to say, based on their comments.

Steve

Doesn’t sexism require a person’s sex to be the target of their hate? In this case, it doesn’t seem that it’s the gender being attacked, so much as the person’s mindset toward the fandom. I can see how it would be easily misconstrued that way though. And while I, and many others, might not like how other people pay homage to a work, everyone is free to enjoy their time how ever they please.

Mike G

Daibhid C

If we existed in a magical utopia where female fans and male fans were treated exactly alike then sure, an anti-fangirl shirt and an anti-fanboy shirt would be equivalent, and you couldn’t accuse a company selling both of them of being sexist, even if they were mostly selling one of them. The problem is we live in a world where the phrase “fake geek girl” exists. We live in a world where a vocal minority of male fans (in fact, let’s be honest here fanboys in the exact sense Tankhead claim to be using) find the very fact there are women in their fandoms to be so upsetting they post death threats to them. That’s the world this shirt exists in.

But yeah, it’s a free country, and they have exactly as much right to produce the shirt as I do to complain about it.

Dissix

Well, until this point I don’t think many critics were even calling out this company. The understanding was that the t-shirt was a CUSTOM job, and yeah it was for sale at some booth, but everyone I know of who criticized the shirt (myself included) wouldn’t expect the custom company to be held accountable for any offense that the shirt gave. But now the fact that they’re taking a stand and inserting themselves into the story is going to make a lot more vitriol come their way.

I don’t think the shirt is the worst or most offensive thing ever, but it is somewhat offensive and extremely tacky and rude. I understand all the caveats about double-standards, and there is some truth in what the defenders are saying. But it’s still a rude shirt, and “fangirls” is a lot more specific than “fanboys”. Not that girls are some fragile minority that can’t ever be criticized. But c’mon, dude, within the context of the audience that would see the shirt, fangirls are a minority with a lot of power. So criticizing them in this sweeping manner is just mean. I’d say the same thing if there were a more mainstream t-shirt that took at shot at all “geeks” and wanted them dead or gone or whatever.

That said, people are still blowing this up into more than it is. It isn’t THAT big of a deal either way.

wildweasel

Glenn Simpson

I think the shirts are in poor taste but I do have a certain amount of understanding for the concept of disliking people who go too far (of either gender) in their love of things that I happen to like. I would like to maintain the respect of my peers, and when they know I like, say, Batman, and then you hear about someone getting fired at work because they insisted on dressing like Batman every day, then those are the stories that get posted to my Facebook page and everybody has a big laugh about “hey – look at this freak who likes the same thing you like.”

The hard part is, of course, that there is no clear line where it goes from “healthy” to “unhealthy and embarrassing” so I get that.

Rene

There’s one thing I’ve meant to say in this discussion, that is only tangencial to it, but here it goes anyway.

Lots of times, people say or imply that misogynist comic book fanboys are that way because they’re introverts, virgins, frustrated, don’t see a lot of action, can’t talk to girls, etc.

Excuse me, but that is bull, and it gives a bad name to introverts. Believe me, misogynist guys come in all shapes, sizes, and personalities. A lot of “players” that can get all the girls they want are misogynist. A lot of respectable businessmen are misogynist. A lot of guys that never stepped into their parents’ basement are misogynist.

Introverts already have a lot of social problems without having to add the stigma of woman-haters.

Stephen

He’s right. You should see the kind of shit male gamers have to put up with from the gaming press. Everyone who’s offended by this, get over it. You’re just feeling the tip of the iceberg of what male nerds have put up with for decades.

“So if I want to get that shirt and substitute anything else for fangirls, they will print it and it’s OK? What if I want it replaced with “gays,” or some racial slur?”

I don’t know if you noticed but “fangirl” isn’t a characteristic in the same way that “gay” or “black” is.

Tom Harris

Stephen,
Yes, I know it’s not the same. Some would argue that “gay” and “black” are not the same characteristics. My point was, it sounds like these guys will print anything on a shirt and not lose a wink of sleep. If that’s the business they want to run, they can. I’m not Mr. PC by any stretch, I just wonder if there is a shirt they WOULDN’T print.

Hmm, might be time for a $20-ish experiment LOL

And who hates coffee? Really? SMH

Genius Jones

Whoa whoa whoa, see, everybody claimed they were sexists before even hearing their side. After hearing their side we now know in fact they’re merely gate-keeping jerks who are intent on shaming and belittling anyone (man, woman, child?) for enjoying something the “wrong way” in geek culture…. for profit. I bet people feel all silly for being critical of them before.

Panther

Just to the first commenter, it’s Moot, not Mute.
Sexism, like all systemic prejudice, only rolls downhill.
It isn’t constitutional free speech deprivation if a private citizen says “you can’t say that.” The constitution only says what the GOVERNMENT can’t do. I can say “get off my lawn,” the government cannot say “you can’t assemble on my lawn.”
OK. I’m done ranting now. The shirt is horrible, the idea behind it is horrible, and the company is not wise to defend it. (See also, Rape Wolves).

Jake Earlewine

Coffee Sucks

I think it’s fine to put anything on that shirt. Any THING. When you start putting people terms on them, then you’ve gone too far. However, everyone should feel free to buy and wear these shirts as is their right. It’ll help the rest of us spot the people we don’t want to associate with.

Geek Dad

Have people never been to a t-shirt shack on the beach? They are filled with tasteless t-shirts that have never, ever been labeled as hate. (Or has California outlawed them yet?)

Take the classic “I’m with stupid –>” t-shirt. To hear some of the people sounding out here and elsewhere, if I wear that shirt and stand next to a Jew or a black person or – criminey – a *woman*, all of a sudden it is hate speech.

I think it’s a funny shirt. I’m getting tired of how any time anything that could be remotely construed as misogynistic comes up in relation to comics, all the white knights come out in full force. Good lord, comic geeks are a sensitive, finicky bunch. You always get the usual whiners like Rucka telling us how we should think as well.

ENNISELLIS

Wow. This really is the big argument at the moment. Because of the appalling way Janelle Asselin was treated, we’re now treated to a daily dose of examples of sexism in comics / fandom.

Unfortunately this one seems to be a bit of an own goal. It’s not a funny T-shirt (as someone else has pointed out) regardless of whether it is or isn’t sexist. All you’ve done is highlight a shirt that I (and I would argue the majority of people reading this article / Rucka’s comments, etc) previously never knew existed.

Great job giving the makers publicity they could never buy.

cagelirious

And only one is displayed . You can say whatever you want, but I also have the freedom to Crack you in the Jaw for it. Yes a fanboy version can be made to order, but the Fangirl one is what’s displayed on their site and is what they’ve choose to represent the shirt and essentially their company. They have choose to support that misogynistic not real nerd bullshit female’so in the culture have to deal with everyday. The choose this so screw them, theyes have no one to blame but their selves.

GIF

Here’s the thing though: if you create a product that’s meant for public consumption then you’re accountable for whatever message is on or in the product. You might also be accountable for people being offended by what you sell and possible lawsuits which is why you have to be careful. Being indifferent makes you sound like an asshole. In an industry where I’ve encountered countless competitive asshole artists and writers the last thing we need is idiots wearing tshirt promoting a misogynistic view. Comics need women and men and fans that are genuinely passionate about the subject matter whatever shape or size they come in. The comics industry also needs artists and writers to help each other and stop backstabbing or being two-faced. Get off your high horses.

And using the term fanboy or fangirl also makes you an asshole. These “fanboys” and “fangirls” are the very people that support artists and writers in the industry so labeling them with a term that is insulting is not cool and highly immature. Who cares if these awkward people live in their moms basement? Are the hurting you? Are they in any way bothering you? No. They are harmless and going through an awkward time and they are vital to the comic industries survival so be nice. We all went through an awkward phase(s) in our life.

Be accepting and mature and welcome and inviting. It’s the only recourse if you want the comics industry to grow and thrive. Being welcome to women will also elevate and further the comics medium by bringing in new perspectives and ideas to the table. Stop being a vicious dick. Anyone can do that and it only works to desperate the group as a whole.

Jack

I find it funny that there are only males defending this….Say what you will but woman do not have equality, If you don’t see that, I’m sorry for the woman in your lives. Diminishing woman is not comparable to diminishing men in this society, get over it. When a majority of men are victims of domestic violence, when men are less than 50% represented in the government and on corporate boards you may have a defense saying that it’s equal opportunity if you say fanboy and fangirl, till then be quiet, you know not what you speak of.

oldboy

The responses on here condemning this are hilarious. Especially ones that say the “boys” shirt is fine but the “girls” one is not because it plays into a stereotype. Hmmmm, maybe you should stop and realize YOU are the one who re-enforces that stereotype, and needs to really back off and figure out what really is important. This shirt says nothing except they dislike crazy overzealous fans. Who gives 2 *freaks* what gender the fan is, if they are annoying, it’s not because of their gender. I am sick and tired of people who think their view that everything is offensive is reality, and in fact are the reason we cannot move forward as a society.

Keith

Jude

Yes, producers are accountable for their product, and if a consumer who bought their product had a complaint about the quality of the product they bought, a producer’s indifference or defiance would be a bad move.

As for onlookers who have a problem with a product, a verbal assault on the producer won’t get them anywhere except feeling righteous – which I suspect is the reward behind the male White Knight act.

Hate is dumb, regardless of its target. The deprecatory use of words like “fanboy,” “fangirl” and “fake geek” is likewise pretty dumb and accomplishes little, if anything. The unfortunate thing about this shirt is not so much that it is hateful (though it is, indubitably); it is that there’s a demographic sufficiently interested in such a low level of discourse to buy the ugly thing.

Why are some folk getting on Mr. Rucka’s case for being against this? Isn’t he entitled to his opinion? If being against sexism/hate/stupidity/ugly shirts is socialism, then colour me Marxist.

Scott

If there are too versions, fangirls AND fanboys, then the argument is pointless and people have blown it out of preportion. It just so happens that people only want to talk about the fangirl version, which proves the point that it is only sexism if its aimed at the females. Why is no one in uproar about any fanboys who may be offended?
I in no way agree that a t-shirt like that should be on sale anywhere, but the company are correct about it being double standards…

Rene

“Fanboy” is a gender-neutral term, like “policeman”. It’s not sexist. Someone who says they hate policemen may have a problem with authority, but isn’t discriminating against males, it’s implied to hate male and female police officers both. Now, someone who says they hate fangirls or policewomen, on the other hand, seems like he has a problem only with the females, and it highly implies some sort of misogyny.

And what the hell, “white knight” is supposed to be some sort of insult now, while being a selfish jerk who is in immature “competition” with girls is the thing to be commended? Do we live in a topsy-turvy world or what? What kind of man doesn’t want to be called a white knight?

And what’s the competition supposed to be about? Who knows the most trivia about comics? That is supposed to make you a better person than “fake geek girls”? I’m supposed to feel better about myself because I read Game of Thrones before there was a TV show? Grow up. Usually it’s the people who think they know so much that say the most stupid things.

And being un-PC is the new PC. If there is anything that is supposed to be in favor of women or minorities, there is a knee-jerk brigade of guys that are against it, no matter what, and that are as automatic in their response as the “socialists” they despise.

Alfredo

The telltale of a true liberal is that, for him, the difference between right and wrong depends solely on who is affected by the action (and whether or not they like that person), not the actions themselves or the intentions behind them. If the t-shirt had said “I like conservatives…” or “I like the Westboro Baptist Church…” or “I like Scientologists…” instead of fangirls, they’d be throwing their money at the company so fast they’d need the Flash to catch it all because hating a group they dislike is perfectly okay, but hating a group they like is evil incarnate.

Goddamn hypocrites.

And here’s a bit of “evil” conservative wisdom: preventing people from expressing their hatred doesn’t reduce their hatred, it only makes it harder to tell who the haters are. And knowledge is always preferable to blissful ignorance.

Rene

A false analogy. To be a conservative, a Westboro Baptist, or a Scientologist is almost entirely a matter of choice. One can not as easily choose to be or not to be a woman, though.

And here’s a bit of “evil” liberal wisdom: preventing people from expressing their hatred has an influence in future generations. Most teenagers I know are a lot more tolerant to women, gays, and people of color than people of my age. I think that is because they were raised in a world where openly expressing bigotry or sexism isn’t considered acceptable.

Thorsman

Rene

Anyone using a shirt like that would be a grade-A jerk in my book. I was never one to tolerate jokes, digs, or attacks against males. I was one of the guys that spoke up when someone said jokingly that Scott Lobdell spoke up for “straight, white males everywhere”. No, he didn’t.

However, conservatives usually confuse a “denial of the right to persecute” with an attack. Saying that Christians have no right to persecute gays, or that entitled guys have no right to persecute fangirls, isn’t the same as being intolerant of Christians or of guys. It’s only intolerance of a particular behaviour exhibited by some Christians, by some guys.

Trevor Campbell

I like how the South Park guys view it. Everyone gets offended by something, so either never make fun of anything ever, or understand that different people get offended by different things and don’t worry about it, just offend away! Once you start picking and choosing what is acceptable, you go down a slippery slope.

It’s like when chef/Isaac Hayes made fun of Christianity and stuff on South Park without any moral qualms, but once they made fun of Scientology, he left the show.

Bob

Rene

Everyone picks what’s acceptable and what’s not. Everyone, even if unconsciously. Some people just pretend they don’t.

For instance, lots of guys that think jokes about “dumb women” or about rape are funny and cool and daring and you can’t worry about offending people, etc. And then, when there is an explosion of humor or satire targeting THEM, such as the Privilege Denying Dude meme, boy, do they get offended!

Suddenly, it’s not funny or fair game anymore.

However, I can see your point too. I don’t like censorship, and I am able to enjoy politically incorrect humor, when it’s funny. But just as there are leftie dudes that recoil at anything that offends women, there are right-wing dudes that say that anything that offends women is funny and commendable. They feel they have to defend it, just for political reasons.

Regardless of moral or political content, the shirt at the top of this thread is not very funny.

The amount of vitriol that goes into the defense of anti-women activities is much more telling than the fact that this shirt was made. You can be upset and say people critical of this shirt and of shitty comic book covers are making a mountain out of a molehill, but the guys getting so aggressively worked up over their right to be shitty people are doing all the heavy lifting for their detractors. You’re kind of proving their point for them. It’s on you if you can’t see it. Not them.

The comments are also worth checking out, as Tankhead has responded to further criticism with its own charge of sexism, and an acknowledgement that the company would be willing to substitute “Fangirls” on the T-shirt with any group

Really now? Any group, you say? Well, now I almost want to see if Tankhead is so incredibly moronic that they would actually manufacture the exact same t-shart, but with the word “Fangirls” substituted for, oh, let’s say “Jews” or “Mexicans” or “Homosexuals.” Yeah, sure, that’d go over really well, wouldn’t it?

Thank you Tankhead for not listening to idiots like Greg Rucka trying to tell you what to do! I bet your tshirt sales have gone through the roof because of this.

It’s like how artists/directors/etc want their stuff to be called out by right wing Christian groups, it brings attention to their product and usually doubles the sales, if not more. I bet Tankhead has a grin from ear to ear.

RegularSizedMike, I’m pretty sure this issue has nothing to do with sexism (except for the perceived sexism that people love to see) and more to do with the fact that the shirts insult fanboys and fangirls, which is also a really moot point. Good thing I have extra time at work to waste writing this.

Totally disagree. In my opinion the very term was coined to make fun of the majority readership of mainstream comics, which at certain times has been dominantly male, and to denigrate these males for being adolescent and retrogressive in their tastes.

When Heidi MacDonald wrote a COMICS JOURNAL essay entitled “You Guys Need to Get Laid,” I strongly doubt that any girl geeks were implicated in that title.